Sunday, February 23, 2014

SABC's weekly Media Monitor with Alicia Jali ignores Hlaudi Motsoeneng; completely silent on biggest story in broadcasting in the past week.


Media Monitor, the weekly reflective news magazine show on Sundays on the SABC's 24-hour TV news channel SABC News (DStv 404), blatantly ignored and stayed silent on the biggest story in South African broadcasting this past week: the SABC's own matricless liar and acting chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng.

The closest Media Monitor with anchor Alicia Jali came to Hlaudi Motsoeneng - and unbeknownst to viewers - was to show B-roll footage of the press corps, standing and sitting at Hlaudi Motsoeneng's hastily convened press conference which took place this past Thursday.

That behind-the-scenes footage which was from Hlaudi Motsoeneng's press conference was shown however during another story on Media Monitor that had nothing to do with Hlaudi Motsoeneng, .

The SABC and Media Monitor clearly scraping the archives for recent B-roll on journalists covering news, used the week's Hlaudi Motsoeneng presser visuals - but did so during an interview with the SABC's deputy political editor for radio, Mahlatshe Gallens talking about covering news in war zone territories in Africa.

On Monday South Africa's Public Protector released a damning report on maladministration, abuse of power and corruption at the SABC, as well as irregular appointments and firings implicating Hlaudi Motsoeneng, as well as saying he is a liar for fraudulently claiming he has matric and making up fake matric symbols. 

On Tuesday the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) released further damning evidence of corruption and maladministration as well as irregular expenditure of R275 million at the SABC.

Media Monitor on Sunday didn't mention the SABC or any of the scathing reports and coverage, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, or the massive number of press articles, commentary or coverage about the beleaguered public broadcaster which filled newspapers and online this past week.

Ironically Alicia Jali still had the audacity to tell viewers on Sunday with a straight face that "the concept of this programme is to monitor and evaluate media coverage of some of the major news story of the week".

For the SABC, as far as the public broadcaster is itself involved, there was no story more major the past week than that of the matricless liar Hlaudi Motsoeneng - but the broadcaster blocked it out on its own media review show.

Alicia Jali said the aim of the show is to "put the media in the spotlight".

Given that the SABC itself was the biggest media and broadcasting news maker during the past week, it is astounding that the SABC and Media Monitor with Alicia Jali in the space of an entire hour couldn't find even 30 seconds to devote to the SABC finding itself in crisis and to Hlaudi Motsoeneng.